Tag Archives: LGBT

Club Q

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Callen Harty

(edited to reflect new information; 11/21/22) Once again, my people have been attacked. Several members of the queer community were shot and killed at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado late Saturday night. On Sunday’s Transgender Day of Remembrance, news … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Billy Jack Gaither, Christians, closet, Club Q, Colorado, Colorado Springs, common sense gun laws, Constitution, Dignity, equality, fear, gay, Harvey Milk, hate, hatred, leaders, LGBT, Matthew Shepard, out, politicians, Pulse Nightclub, queer, rights, safe spaces, transgender, United States, violence | Leave a comment

Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and the Dismantling of Queer Rights

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Callen Harty

During the 2016 Presidential campaign a photograph of Donald Trump holding a rainbow flag went viral. Some of those in the queer community, particularly members of the Log Cabin Republicans, thought that it showed that he was supportive of LGBT … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged adoption agencies, AIDS, allies, ally, anti-discrimination laws, anti-gay policies, Cabinet, Census Bureau, Christian, civil rights, Civil Rights Act, closets, conservative, discrimination, Donald Trump, embassies, equal rights, equality, Equality Act, federal government, gay, gender identity, government, Health and Human Services, health facilities, HIV, homophobic, Islamophobic, Jeff Sessions, judgeships, Justice Department, LGBT, Log Cabin Republicans, love, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, military, misogynist, Miss Universe, pride month, queer community, racist, rainbow flag, re-election, Religious Freedom Restoration Act, right-wing, same-sex marriage, schools, self-expression, self-hating, self-identity, sex, sexuality, society, Steve Bannon, students, Supreme Court, Tom Cotton, transgender, Trump administration, White House | Leave a comment

Out and Proud

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Callen Harty

Almost fifty years ago, Stonewall happened. At the time, gay sex was illegal in every state. Lesbians and gays could be arrested simply for congregating in the same place, and the police would occasionally raid bars known to be gay … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 10% Society, American Psychiatric Association, authentic self, closeted, come out, David Clarenbach, Devil's Lake, discrimination, employment, gay rights, gay rights bill, gay sex, gays, homosexuality, housing, identity, Larry Acherman, Lee Sherman Dreyfus, lesbians, LGBT, life partner, love, Madison, Mark Prestegard, Matthew Alexander, mental illnesses, MIdwest, New York City, out, OutReach, police, proud, Proud Theater, public accomodations, queer, queerness, sexuality, social studies, Stonewall, Stonewall Inn, The Pride Society, University of Wisconsin, UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Assembly, YMCA | Leave a comment

Proud

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Callen Harty

Twenty years ago I was working at OutReach, which is Madison, Wisconsin’s LGBT Community Center. I was also heavily involved at Broom Street Theater, a unique theater company that produces nothing but original works. I was an actor, director, and playwright … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged actor, age, angst, Art & Soul Innovations, audiences, Brian WIld, Broom Street Theater, bullying, changed lives, coming out, confusion, Crown Point, director, Eau Claire, emotion, equality, family, feelings, first loves, friends, gays, Green Bay, harassment, hate, ideas, identities, Indiana, joy, laughter, lesbians, LGBT, LGBT Community Center, LGBT rights, life, love, Madison, mentor, mentors, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, non-profit, opinion, OutReach, performance, Platteville, plays, playwright, Pride Youth Theater Alliance, Proud Theater, queer, queer youth theater, reality, River Falls, sexual assault, shyness, skit, Sol Kelley-Jones, stage, suicide, Sun Prairie, Sunshine Jones, survivor stories, teen years, theater, transgender, Wausau, Wisconsin, wonder, youth | 2 Comments

Profiles in Cowardice

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Callen Harty

On Friday, the remaining holdouts on the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation announced their intentions in the vote that is scheduled for Saturday. For those who are survivors of sexual assault, the likely vote of 51 to 49 to confirm–unless something major … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abuse, agenda, Arkansas, attempted rape, body language, Brett Kavanaugh, Chuck Grassley, citizens, compassion, conscience, corroborate, corrupted, cowardice, Democrats, Donald Trump, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, drinking, drugs, elderly, empathy, false memories, FBI, fear, harassment, healing, hearing, heart attack, House, investigation, Jeff Flake, Joe Manchin, John F. Kennedy, jurist, justice, lap dog, left-wingers, LGBT, lied under oath, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, molested, money, old queen, Orrin Hatch, partisan, people of color, political cover, politics, poor, power, Presidential ambitions, Profiles in Courage, rape, Republicans, right-wing conservative, Ron Johnson, self-blame, self-hatred, Senate, sexual assault, shame, Supreme Court, survivors, Susan Collins, Tom Cotton, Utah, violence, West Virginia, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

Paths to Healing Keynote Speech

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Callen Harty

At this year’s Paths to Healing conference on male survivors of child sex assault I was the keynote speaker. This is the text of the speech I delivered today. Good morning. I’d like to start by thanking Chris Taylor, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #MeToo, 9/11, A Single Bluebird, adult survivor, African-American, alcoholism, allies, altar boy, American Family Insurance, angels, anger issues, articles, arts, becoming, black man, blog, books, brotherhood, Canopy Center, casual sex, child sex abuse, child sex assault, childhoiod, Chris Taylor, class, collective spirit, color, come out, compassion, control, courage, creed, Dane County Rape Crisis Center, DEnim Day, depression, disabled, domestic abuse, drug abuse, emotions, empathy, Empty Playground, equality, essays, faith, Family Sexual Abuse Treatment, forgive, forgiveness, Friends of the State Street Family, gay man, gender, gender identity, harassment, Harvey Milk, hatred, healing, heart attack, Henry David Thoreau, Hmong, Ho-Chunk Nation, honest, hope, horror, human, human connection, human spirit, humanity, inner child, innocence, Invisible Boy, Irish-Catholic, Jesus, Journalism, journey, joy, justice, keynote speech, Latino, LGBT, Madison, male survivor, masculinity, memoir, meningitis, minority, monologues, mumps, Native American, neighbors, orientation, OutReach, Paradise, Paths to Healing, peace, perpetrator, person of color, personhood, plays, playwriting, poetry, positive energy, post traumatic stress disorder, power, promiscuity, prostitution, Proud Theater, queer, race, recovering alcoholic, reocvery, rights, scarlet fever, secrets, self-abuse, self-care, self-hatred, sex, sexual abuse, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, sexuality, shame, siblings, silence, social drinking, Solidarity with Child Abuse Victims/Survivors, sorrow, spirituality, State Capitol, straight, suffering, suicidal ideation, teach, therapy, threats, trans, trigger warning, truth, underserved communities, UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence, universal truths, Utopia, UW-EauClaire, victims, violence, Voices of Courage, Waylon Pahona, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, writer | Leave a comment

The Political Pendulum

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Callen Harty

Back in 2003 Wisconsin’s former governor, Lee Sherman Dreyfus, won the first-ever Courage Award from OutReach, Madison’s lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) community center. It was a long overdue recognition for his signing of the nation’s first gay rights law in 1982. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged American empire, Bernie Sanders, Bible, Bill Clinton, Caesar, candidate, Christian right, Christianity, church and state, Citizens United, city council, conservative Christian movement, corporate America, county board, Courage Award, Dark Ages, Democratic party, Dennis Kucinich, elections, environment, gay rights, George McGovern, God, gospel of prosperity, Isthmus, Jesus, Lee Sherman Dreyfus, left, left-wingers, LGBT, LGBT rights, liberal, Madison, media, megachurches, Mitch McConnell, money, money mandate, money-changers, nation, Oklahoma, OutReach, Paul Wellstone, political pendulum, power, Presidency, progressive, progressive party, racism, reality television, Republican party, right-wingers, Roe vs. Wade, Ronald Reagan, Roy Moore, school board, Supreme Court, Trump, unions, voters, Wisconsin, workers rights | Leave a comment

An Open Letter to Pope Francis on Funerals for Queer Children of God

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Callen Harty

Dear Pope Francis, Years ago I left the Catholic Church. There were several reasons, but one large part was because I could not reconcile my sexuality as a gay man with the official teachings of the Catholic Church. While I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, bisexual, Bishop Morlino, Catholic Church, civil unions, deceased, Denver, Dignity, diocese, ecclesiastical funeral rites, forgiveness, funerals, gay, gay lifestyle, gay parishioners, God, grace, James Bartylla, Jesus, Judgment Day, lesbian, LGBT, Lord, love, Madison, marriage, Mass, Mass for the Dead, obituary, papcy, parish, partner, Pope Francis, priest, Protestant, queer, repentance, sacraments, salvation, sexuality, sinners, spirituality, Synod of the Family, transgender, Vatican, vicar general, welcoming space, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

On “Religious Freedom”

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Callen Harty

Several states have either tried or succeeded in passing bills over the last few years that are supposedly “religious freedom” bills. Many have been blocked from getting through or states have suffered boycotts and loss of business before or after passing … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abortion, adulterers, Americans, Andrew Jackson, atheists, Bible, Bill of Rights, bills, bisexual, Blacks, boycotts, citizens, conservative Christians, contraception, discrimination, Donald Trump, executive order, Frederick Douglass, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, gay marriage, gays, hatred, Hindus, historical facts, homosexuality, idolaters, injustice, Jesus Christ, lawsuit, lesbian, LGBT, liberty, life, Mississippi, money, murderers, Muslims, occult, pursuit of happiness, queer, religious freedom, Republican base, right-wing Christians, Sabbath, Supreme Court, theocracy, thieves, transgender, women | Leave a comment

Letter to Donald Trump on Transgender Guidelines

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Callen Harty

2/21/17 Dear President Trump, I have heard reports that the White House is considering rescinding Department of Education guidelines regarding transgender rights for school districts across the United States. I am pleading with you as an adult who works with … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged adolescence, Born This Way, bullying, Department of Education guidelines, discrimination, Donald Trump, harassment, hate violence homicides, Human Rights Campaign, identity, LGBT, LGBT students, National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, National Transgender Discrimination Study, NCAVP, police violenc, police violence, sexual violence, suicide, teen, transgender rights, transgender women, transgender women of color, White House, Williams Institute | Leave a comment

A Queer View of the Incoming Administration

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Callen Harty

Likely most people have noticed the Orwellian nature of Donald Trump’s picks for his Cabinet and other roles in his upcoming White House, which is more appropriately named than ever with Stephen Bannon as one of his top advisors. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abortion, AIDS, Alabama, Ambassador to the United Nations, anti-gay, anti-Semitic, Attorney General, beastiality, Ben Carson, Betsy DeVos, bisexual, Breitbart News, Cabinet, charter schools, Chief of Staff, Chris Sommerfeldt, CIA, climate denier, closet cases, Congress, conversion therapy, discrimination, domestic issues, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Donald Trump, Education Secretary, Elaine Chao, Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA, Environmental Protection AGency, Family Research Council, First Amendment Protection Act, Focus on the Family, gay, gay rights, Goldman Sachs, hate crimes, hate group, Health and Human Services, homophobic, Housing and Urban Development, Human Rights Campaign, Indiana Governor, James Mattis, Jeff Sessions, John Kelly, John Riley, K. T. McFarland, Ken Blackwell, Labor Secretary, lesbian, LGBT, LGBT lifestyle, Log Cabin Republicans, marriage equality, Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, Metro Weekly, Michael Flynn, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, misogynist, National Security Advisor, New York Daily News, New York Times Magazine, Nikki Haley, Ohio, Orwell, President Obama, public education, queer, racist, Reince Priebus, religious freedom, representative, Republican National Committee, Right Wing Watch, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of Transportation, sexuality, South Carolina, Southern Poverty Law Center, Stephen Bannon, Steven Mnuchin, Supreme Court, The Advocate, Tom Price, transgender, University of Alabama, Vice-President, Violence Against Women Act, vouchers, White House | 1 Comment

On the Pulse Nightclub Massacre

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Callen Harty

Within a couple minutes of waking up on Sunday morning several posts on Facebook had alerted me to yet another mass shooting in the United States. A moment later I saw that it had taken place at a gay nightclub … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Allen Schindler, Atlanta, bigotry, Billy Jack Gaither, bisexual, Brandon Teena, Capitol Square, Christian, closet, Earl Greeley, fear, gay, gay club, gender, Harvey Milk, hate, homophobic, Islamist extremist, justice, Latino night, lesbian, LGBT, life partner, love, Madison, mass shooting, Matthew Shepard, Muslim, Native American, New Orleans, Orlando, other, Otherside Lounge, place of origin, pulse, Pulse Nightclub, queer, race, religion, right-wing, sexuality, status, Superior, transgender, University of Wisconsin, Upstairs Loung, Wisconsin | Leave a comment